Catamenial bandage and support



' E. C. WHITLOCK CATAMENIAL BANDAGE' AND SUPPORT Filed June 8. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l .if/ar D Nov. 10, 1925. 1,560,890

E. C. WHITLOCK CATAMENIAL BANDAGE AND SUPPORT Filed June s. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q N m ,wdm I I 52 m Jar fl/drag? ill re earsal. in lane.

ELIZABETH C. WHTTLOGK, er @HKCAGQ, Illlhmflllll.

CMAMENIAL TBANJDAGE AND EYUTIPORT.

Application filed June 3, 1823.

[0 all 1071 0m it may concern:

Be it known that l, ELIZABETH C. WHIT- LOCK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of llllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Catamenial Bandages and Supports, of which. the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in catamenial banda es and supports. The main object of this Invention is to provide an improved catamenial bandage and support including a washable covering or shield for detachably carrying a pad or strip of absorbent material, and supporting means for drawing said shield into sack formation and for detachably supporting it on a person.

-Another object is to provide such a detachable shield which is moisture-proof and well. adapted to be washed, and is covered with material which is smooth and agree able to the wearer.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings 0 forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Fig. l is a front elevational view of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line2-2 of Fig. 1.

' able and is durable, and said shield preferably further contains an outer layer 8 of washable material which is smooth and agreeable to wear near the person, such as Chinese silk or the like, which is fastened to the-inner layer 7 by means of an edging member or tape 9 preferably also of silk or similar smooth material, said members being fastened together by suitable stitching 10. End pieces or fastening members 11 and 12 of durable fabric are fastened to the Serial Title. 644:,095.

ends of said shield and are provided with button holes 11 and 12', respectively. Tabs or bands 13 and 144 extend inwardly from said end pieces 11 and 12 at the inner side of said shield for detachably mounting a pad or strip of absorbent material 15 thereto as by means of safety pins 16 or in any other suitable manner.

Means is provided for supporting this shield and permitting convenient removing therefrom. Said means comprises a supporting waist 17, shaped somewhat like a short corset and which may be used in place thereof. This waist is made of several pieces of suitable fabric properly cut out and stitched or fastened together, and has vertically extending elastic strips 18 fastened to the rear portion 19 and the hip portions 19"of said waist, in order to provide the necessary elasticity and expansion to the waist, as when the wearer bends forward, etc. Suitable vertical stays 20 are provided in the waist and are preferably fastened in the seams as shown in the drawings and may consist of whale-bone or non-rustable metal strips. The waist material is separated over the front of the right hip, and

two stays 21 and 22 are fastened in the joining edges of the waist, said stays being preferably provided with eyes 21 and beads or pins 22 for conveniently fastening and opening the waist. A re-enfo'rcing band 23 of strong and non-stretchable material is fastened across the front of said waist to rovide an abdominal support, which is especially beneficial for stout women.

The means for releasably attaching the shield to the waist comprises a tab or band 2d fastened to the inner side of the downwardly tapering end 25 at the front of the waist, said band being provided with buttons 26 for engaging in the button holes 11 on the front end piece'll of the shield. A band or strap 27 of elastic material is releasably attached with one end to the rear end of the Waist, as by the use of button holes engaging buttons 28 attached to the lower edge of the waist, and the lower end of said band or strap 27 contains outwardly extending buttons 29 for engaging in the button holes12. on the rear end 12 of the shield. I Said elastic strap 27 in con'unction with the other elastic elements 0 this device, furnishes the necessary elasticity and yieldability to provide complete freedom of lid lib

motion to the wearer of this device. The upper end of said strap 27 substantially covers the rear safety pin 16, as indicated in Fig. 4c, and the front safety pin 16 may be pinned from beneath the member 15, in order to keep said pins from contacting with the body of the wearer.

Means are provided for drawing up the side edges of the shield to retain and sup port it in sack formation as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, in order to absolutely prevent the soiling of the wearers gowns. This means comprises an elastic strap 30 fastened to the edge at each side of the forward portion and the rearward por tion of said shield, and a pair of similar elastic straps 31 fastened to the lower end of each hip piece 19 of the waist, as shown in the drawings, the straps 30 being preferably each provided with a ring 82, and the straps 31 each with a socket member at the end which engages the ring and with a head 32 which is embraced by said socket. Adjusting means 35 are provided in said straps to properly adjust the length thereof. Said straps 30 and 31 may be thus properly adjusted to fasten the device on a person and to exactly draw up the edges of the shield to the required extent, and stocking supporting means 36 may also be vided on the front piece and the hip pieces of the waist.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into efiect, this is caeeaeeo pable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device of the class described comprising in combination a supporting waist and a sanitary shield thereon, said shield including an inner layer of Japanese oil silk, an outer layer of silk, edge bands of silk stitched over said layers to bind them together, and said supporting waist including a tapered portion with a fixed attaching band at its front, longitudinal elastic strips in its back portion, a broad elastic band directly and releasably attached to its rear, elastic straps depending from the sides of said waist and having means for adjusting them for len th, said shield having means on its ends tor releasably attaching it to means on said bands, and separate elastic straps extending from the side edges of said shield for releasably engaging means on said first straps for drawing up the side edges of said shield and supporting it in sack formation.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ELIZABETH C. WHITLOCK. 

